Living our best life is not about the measurables (what we look like, what’s in our bank account, or how we are “doing” in our careers). Living our best life is about how we feel. When I’m “living my best life”, I’ve got a pep, a confidence, an empowered energy, a vibe that says, “Come on life, let’s do this!” Yes, please. More of that feeling in my life!

Truth is, I haven’t been feeling a whole lot of pep as of late. We all...

When was the last time you felt excited, alive, or full of enthusiasm? For most of us, it has been a hot minute or somewhere around 395 days or more.

I don’t know about you. I really miss it, that above-the-line level of joy, expansion, exhilaration, fun. I miss belly laughs and a sense of being carefree. The truth is, in many ways, I had a good solid habit of foreboding enthusiasm well before the pandemic. Kids, responsibility, building a business, working through my stuff, caring...

I don’t want the lessons of this year to be lost the moment that we can “get back to normal.” I don’t want to forget that I can’t control the external variables of my life or life around me. I don’t want to forget that the only certainty we have is uncertainty itself. I also don’t want to forget to notice the joy in the smallest things. I don’t want to forget that connection is what I craved the most this year. I don’t want to forget that...

“You live out the confusions until they become clear.” Anais Nin

Anyone else living out the confusions?

Ride on, Courageous One. You are not alone.

If you squint through the lens of hope, you might catch a glimpse of clarity on the horizon.

Let me know when you find it. In the meantime, I’ll be here living.

Keeping the faith,

When was the last time you said to yourself, “I knew it!”? Give yourself a second or three to pause here and remember the last time you knew - you just had a feeling.

What if it wasn’t a coincidence? What if it was your intuition?

Can you remember another time? How ‘bout another?

Are you willing to affirm your intuition, your internal wisdom, your ability to sense or hear Spirit or God whispers?

So…

What is it right now that you know to be true? What in your...

Well, you did it. You survived a year in a worldwide pandemic. It sounds morbid, and it is true.

In addition to surviving grief and loss, it is important to pause for a moment and acknowledge what it is about YOU that helped to not only get you through but to help you thrive on the highs and float along in the lows.

What is it about YOU that has Risen Up that you didn’t even realize you had within you?

Some ideas for you:

Your giving heart.
Your resiliency.
Your adaptability.
Your...

I have a responsibility to myself to feel my emotions and be present to my experience. If I don’t feel my feelings or allow myself to own how I feel about a situation, then I am negating me. Going straight to the “I’m fine place” is devaluing my truth - it’s like being fake with myself.

Taking personal responsibility means that I can be curious about my circumstances, about the reality of a situation, and check myself and the stories I’m creating about it.

I remember when my kids were little and I would correct them on little infractions like saying “butt,” redirecting them to say something a little less egregious like “bottom.” Seems so hilarious looking back because I lost that battle many years ago. And in the grand scheme, that one is really not a big deal.

What I’m more concerned with is their use of “but.” That’s right: B - U - T.

The use of this word can be a road straight downhill.

It zaps...

I am spoiled by sunshine living in Colorado. Regardless of how cold we get, we can depend on the sun to shine most days. I write these Sunday words of wisdom and encouragement midweek. Today is cloudy, dismal, and cold. When I look at the weather map, 95% of the entire US is cloudy, gloomy, and in many areas dangerously cold with their infrastructure failing, risking lives, safety, and well-being.

And this on top of all the other stuff, you know, like almost a year of living through a...

Do you open-heartedly receive gifts, compliments, love? When a friend wants to help you out, do you say, “Yes, I thought you’d never ask!”? Do you like all the attention in the room? If yes, you are my hero. If “Not so much,” same girl, same.

As my heart was mending from a big breakup in college, I was asked out by a super nice guy to go to the James Taylor concert. I loved James Taylor so even though I probably didn’t really want to go on a date with the...